The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 32: “God vs. the gods” (Isaiah 41:1-29)

The Prophecy of Isaiah: A Bible Study
Lesson 32: “God vs. the gods” (Isaiah 41:1-29)

1. The Strength and Help of the True God (Isaiah 41:1-20)

a. The Sovereign Lord of History (Isaiah 41:1-7)

i. God Summons the Nations (Isaiah 41:1-4)

¹ “Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment. ² “Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. ³ He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. ⁴ Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—with the first of them and with the last—I am he.” (Isaiah 41:1–4, NIV)

ii. The Nations Flee to their gods (Isaiah 41:5-7)

⁵ The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; ⁶ they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!” ⁷ The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, “It is good.” The other nails down the idol so it will not topple. (Isaiah 41:5–7, NIV)

b. The Faithful Lord of Salvation (Isaiah 41:8-20)

i. The Lord Chooses His People (Isaiah 41:8-9)

⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, ⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. (Isaiah 41:8–9, NIV)

ii. The Lord Encourages His People (Isaiah 41:10-12)

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ¹¹ “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. ¹² Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. (Isaiah 41:10–12, NIV)

iii. The Lord Helps His People (Isaiah 41:13-16)

¹³ For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. ¹⁴ Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁵ “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. ¹⁶ You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:13–16, NIV)

iv. The Lord Provides for His People (Isaiah 41:17-19)

¹⁷ “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. ¹⁸ I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. ¹⁹ I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, (Isaiah 41:17–19, NIV)

v. The Lord Is Glorified among His People (Isaiah 41:20)

²⁰ so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isaiah 41:20, NIV)

2. The Weakness and Futility of False gods (Isaiah 41:21-29)

a. The Lord Summons the gods to Court (Isaiah 41:21)

²¹ “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. (Isaiah 41:21, NIV)

b. The Lord Challenges the gods to Predict the Future or Act (Isaiah 41:22-23)

²² “Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, ²³ tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. (Isaiah 41:22–23, NIV)

c. The Lord Exposes the “Nothingness” of the gods (Isaiah 41:24)

²⁴ But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable. (Isaiah 41:24, NIV)

d. The Lord Displays His Sovereignty (Isaiah 41:25)

²⁵ “I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes— one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. (Isaiah 41:25, NIV)

e. The Lord Proves His Argument: Only He Can Predict and Act, So Only He Is God (Isaiah 41:26-27)

²⁶ Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. ²⁷ I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’ I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news. (Isaiah 41:26–27, NIV)

f. The Lord Closes His Case: The gods are False, Empty, and Worthless (Isaiah 41:28-29)

²⁸ I look but there is no one— no one among the gods to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them. ²⁹ See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion. (Isaiah 41:28–29, NIV)